That was essentially the format when I started in Alamosa in 2006. The differences being we nearly always got the west bound train over the hill in one piece as it was entirely made of empty cars, and we had a passenger train out there consuming a crew and and an engine.
Our daily eastbound traffic was heavily made up with cars of perlite from Antonito. They were shipping at least 25 cars a day. The lava rock biz was about 5 cars a day. On the Monte Vista side, Coors sent 8 cars of barley out 3 times a week and the San Luis Central was good for 5-6 cars a day including reefers of potatoes. So, on Monday, Wednesday & Friday you could count on 43 outbound cars. Tuesday and Thursday, 35 or so. We had 5 units - 3 former Amtrak F-40's and a pair of leased GP-39's. The F-40's were re-geared for freight and were good runners, but when the head end power generators were removed from the engines, no ballast was installed to make up the lost weight. So they we a bit light in the rear, which cut down on their pulling ability. The GP-39's had less horsepower, but pulled well and put them even with the more powerful F-40's. Each was good for 6 loads up the west side of La Veta or 30 cars. So on MWF we had to leave behind 13 cars, on Tu-Th we left behind 5 cars. So by the end of the week we had 39 extra cars to get across the hill.
We usually ran 2 Valley jobs, one to Antonito, one to Monte Vista. Each with one unit. Sometimes on Tu and Th, I would blank the Monte Turn and have one crew (with a brakeman to speed things up) work both jobs. I ran a daytime La Veta Turn with whatever power was available, grab a full tonnage drag and head over the hill, following the La Veta passenger train. That way we kept things fluid. If we got over to La Veta in good time, we'd add our power to the passenger train, and get a free ride home. But between engine failures (quite a few of them) and the few odd loads of fertilizer coming is from the east (and the empty to haul back, we could get buried, making weekend turns necessary.
But, the program was like the Rio Grande's. Two locals in the Valley. Trains and power combined with power used on the passenger and daytime La Veta Turn, and over the hill they'd go to Walsenburg where we'd meet the UP local from Pueblo, swap trains and head for home, getting back to Alamosa by 6am.
Sometimes. I remember several times when the crew went dead in La Veta and I had to drive over there, and take the power light to Alamosa to have a unit for the passenger train. Then the day's La Veta Freight Turn would take the train from Walsenburg that was left that morning in La Veta over the hill instead of coming back light. Eventually it was decided in order to protect the passenger train, one unit would be left behind in Alamosa every night. That cut our ability to get loads over the hill by 20 percent. The back log of loads grew in Alamosa. Coors barley and SLC reefers of spuds got priority. SLC grain, perlite and lava rock went out to fill the train to tonnage. Weekend La Veta turns - both day and night became the norm. It was insane. Somehow we got everything over the hill. Eventually things slowed down a bit and we could manage to keep up with 4-5 extras across the hill each week. The next spring saw the GP39's replaced by GE B-39-8's the B-39's could get 12 cars each over the hill. 3 of them could take the maximum allowed by coupler strength. That helped a lot, then the F40's started getting parceled out to other roads, one broke a crank shaft. Then one GE blew out a turbo charger. The story went on and on....
About 2008, the perlite plant went on strike, which lasted a couple of months. During that time, production was shifted to other plants. After the strike was settled, business never came back the same way. Lava rock dropped way off. Coors didn't like the way the UP interchanged their cars to the BNSF to forward them to Golden, and went to trucks. Monte Vista became a 3 times a week job. Trains over the hill dropped to 20 cars. Then the UP decided our interchange wasn't enough to justify a 5 day a week turn from Pueblo, and dropped to 3x a week.
Thus began the downward spiral.
